


Marriage Ceremonies

by hyxcinthus



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: M/M, Misunderstandings, Post-100 Year War (Avatar TV), hakoda has one (1) brain cell just like his children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:28:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24709102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyxcinthus/pseuds/hyxcinthus
Summary: Hakoda was even more confused. He thought Fire Lord Zuko had been dating Sokka. Now, he couldn’t tell. Zuko was equally affectionate with both of them.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 821





	Marriage Ceremonies

Fire Lord Zuko had been in the southern water tribe for over a week now and Hakoda could not for the life of him figure out which one of his children Zuko was dating. The Fire Lord came down to talk about future trading opportunities and the reparations the Fire Nation would be giving them now that the war was over.

At first, Hakoda was hesitant. He was still very wary of the Fire Nation. The war had ended only two months ago, so it was hard for Hakoda to accept that they weren’t the enemy anymore. However, his children had been going back and forth between their tribe and the Fire Nation. They were both very good friends with Fire Lord Zuko. Hakoda had faith that his children made a good choice in putting their trust in Zuko. It put Hakoda a little more at ease once he saw the Fire Nation ships pulling into the docks. 

That first day was when the confusion started. Once the Fire Lord stepped off the ship, he went to shake hands with Hakoda. Though, before he could, Sokka came barreling forward and tackled Zuko into a hug. 

“Sokka, that is not how you greet the ruler of a nation,” Hakoda scolded. 

“But I missed him,” Sokka said. 

Zuko had a small smile on his face; he watched Sokka affectionately. “We saw each other a week ago.” 

“Exactly. That’s a really long time. I’m glad you see my point.” 

Fire Lord Zuko shook his head fondly and got up, offering a helpful hand to Sokka. Hakoda was taken aback by the interaction. Perhaps he misread it. Maybe that was how all friends acted these days. Zuko shook hands with Hakoda and off they went to the welcoming feast. 

His children sat on either side of the Fire Lord. Occasionally, Katara would whisper something in his ear. Sokka would nudge him with his elbow. At one point, Zuko excused himself and pulled Katara aside. When they got back, both of them seemed a little happier, a sparkling glint in their eyes. 

Hakoda was even more confused. He thought Fire Lord Zuko had been dating Sokka. Now, he couldn’t tell. Zuko was equally affectionate with both of them. 

No clarity came as the days passed. He thought he’d cracked it once he saw Zuko and Sokka holding hands, but a few hours later, he caught Zuko with his hand on the small of Katara’s back. 

“Dad, how do marriage ceremonies between two nations work?” Katara asked him one day. Hakoda tried to school his expression. _Marriage?_ His children weren’t old enough to get married. Especially not to Fire Lord Zuko. As much as he’d come to respect him, he wasn’t ready to hand off one of his children to him. 

“Why do you ask?” Hakoda replied, his voice an octave higher than it normally was. 

“Oh, no reason. I was just wondering. Like, if it was someone from the water tribe and another nation, would the person in the water tribe provide the betrothal necklace or would the person from the other nation?” 

Hakoda cleared his throat. “I’d say it depends. Though, I believe one should be at least twenty or older to get married.” 

Katara looked at him, confused. “Didn’t you and mom get married when you were eighteen.” 

“That’s besides the point,” he said. “Times have changed. You should live your life before you get married.” 

“Okay, Dad. Whatever you say.” Katara gave him a weird look before exiting the tent. 

That conversation made him almost sure that Katara was the one Zuko was dating. Why else would she ask? 

As the week went on, he observed Katara and the Fire Lord closely. Hakoda came to the conclusion that they were, in fact, dating and the touches and looks that Zuko gave to Sokka were purely platonic. They had to be, right?

Another dilemma arose when Hakoda started thinking about when they would tell him. Katara was a smart girl. She’d come to him when she felt ready, he was sure of that. Would Zuko ask for his blessing? That thought sent him on a downward spiral. 

_Would_ the Fire Lord come to him? He’d already expressed to Katara that he thought she shouldn’t be getting married this young. What if they went and did it anyway? His children were leaving with Zuko at the end of the month. What if the next time they came back Katara was the wife of the Fire Lord? He didn’t want to miss his own daughter's wedding. 

Without a second thought, Hakoda marched right up to the Fire Lord’s tent. He heard voices inside. One he recognized as General Iroh who rarely ever left Zuko’s side. The other was the Fire Lord himself. 

“I don’t know, Uncle. Katara said she doesn’t know much about combining the marriage rituals of different nations,” Zuko confessed. 

“Ahh, but Zuko, you are forgetting the most important thing about marriage,” Iroh replied. 

“And what is that, Uncle?” 

“Love. The marriage ceremony must come from the heart. The two cultures will merge naturally. You do not have to worry so much.” 

_So he_ is _planning on marrying my daughter_ , Hakoda thought to himself. He knew he couldn’t stop Katara when she set her mind to something, so he resigned himself to the fact that soon, Zuko would be his son-in-law. 

“Fire Lord Zuko,” Hakoda said from outside the tent. “I’d like a word with you.” 

“Come in,” Zuko said and greeted Hakoda with a smile once he entered. “Sokka and Katara should be here any minute. We have much to discuss.” 

“Yes. That’s what I’m here to talk to you about. I would just like to tell you that I give this wedding my blessing.”

Zuko’s eyes widened. “Oh, I wasn’t aware you knew about it. We were going to tell you tomorrow.” 

“Yes, well, Katara’s questioning tipped me off.”

“Of course. She’s good at a lot of things, but subtly is not her strong suit.”

Hakoda chuckled. “That runs in the family.” The more he got to know the Fire Lord, the more he liked him. He couldn’t think of a finer man to marry his daughter. “You know, I was a bit skeptical when I found out about you and Katara, but now I see how right you are for each other. Even if I think you’re getting married a bit too young.” 

Fire Lord Zuko choked on his tea. “Woah, woah, woah, wait. I’m not marrying Katara.”

Hakoda was a little taken aback. He was so _sure_ that Katara was the one Zuko was dating. Then he remembered Katara’s comment about the betrothal necklaces. Of course, they’d be confused about who gave it to whom because they were both men. “My apologies, Fire Lord. It seems I may have misread the situation. I still give you my full blessing to marry Sokka.” 

“Chief Hakoda, I am not marrying any of your children. Although, I’d like to someday,” Zuko cleared up. 

“Then who’s getting married?” he asked. 

“One of your soldiers is getting married to one of my higher ranking generals. We needed to discuss marriage rights with you and the couple since she is an esteemed member of your tribe.” 

Before Hakoda could respond, Sokka threw the tent flaps aside and let himself in followed by Katara who rolled her eyes at her brother. 

“Hey, Dad,” Sokka greeted. “Woah, are you okay? Did the snow finally freeze your joints?” he jested. 

“You father was under the impression that one of you was marrying my nephew,” General Iroh told him. 

Katara giggled. “Really? Dad, why didn’t you just ask us? Oh my spirits, is that why you acted weird when I asked you about marriage rights? Is that why you told me people should be at least twenty before they get married?”

“Twenty?” Zuko asked in indignation. “I don’t want to wait that long.”

Katara rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up, it’s only two more years.”

That threw Hakoda out of his funk. “Two more years? That means Fire Lord Zuko is dating Sokka, right? Unless he was referring to his own age…” he started muttering to himself, trying to do the math in his head. He was so focused, that he didn’t realize that Sokka had plopped himself right into Zuko’s lap, planting a kiss on his cheek. 

When Hakoda looked up, he saw everyone in the tent watching him, holding back their laughter. 

“Are you done having an aneurysm now?” Sokka asked. 

Hakoda pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Please tell me you’re sitting in his lap because you’re dating and not because you’re messing with me.” 

That broke everyone’s laughter free. Katara giggled into her hands. Sokka threw his head back, laughing with his whole chest as Zuko buried his face in Sokka’s shoulder. General Iroh chuckled into his tea. 

“Yes, Dad,” Sokka said when everything died down. “We’re dating. I would’ve told you if you just asked.” 

“We meant no disrespect, Chief Hakoda,” the Fire Lord said. 

“Honestly, we thought you knew. We weren’t trying to hide it,” Sokka added. 

Hakoda sighed once more and placed his hands on his hips. “Well, I must say I’m relieved you aren’t getting married. Though, I will give you my blessing when the day comes. I think you’re a fine young gentleman, Fire Lord. I trust you’ll treat my son well.” 

Zuko gave him a smile. “Of course.”

“Would anyone like some tea?” Iroh asked. “There’s plenty to go around.” 

So, for the rest of the evening, the five of them sat in a circle and talked about the wedding that would take place in a couple of months. As the night wore on and Sokka got sleepier, he let his head fall onto Zuko’s shoulder. Zuko seemed to relax under his touch. Hakoda smiled at the pair. 

He had to say, they were a good fit. They both had the same passion in their hearts, the same fire. 

When it was time to go, Hakoda watched as Zuko whispered something in Sokka’s ear and gently shook him awake. Groggily, Sokka lifted his head off of Zuko’s shoulder.

“It’s time for you to go,” Zuko told him softly. 

Sokka groaned. “Noooooo, I wanna stay here with you,” he whined as he wrapped his arms around Zuko’s waist. 

“I’m afraid your father would kill me if I let you do that.” 

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll protect you.” 

It warmed Hakoda’s heart to see his child so in love. He left the tent and waited outside with Katara. Eventually, Sokka came stumbling out. He yawned and rubbed his eyes as he made his way back to his tent. 

“Thanks, Dad,” Sokka said. 

“What for?”

“For being cool about me and Zuko. I know how you feel about the Fire Nation.” They stood outside Sokka’s tent. Hakoda pulled his son into a hug. 

“Anything for you, my son. Your happiness is more important to me than any grudges I may hold. I trust you that you give your heart to the right people.” 

“Thanks,” Sokka muttered. 

“Now go to sleep. We have a big day ahead of us.” 

Sokka smiled. “You got it, Dad.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to all the people who told me how to spell hakoda i apparently think the letters d and k are interchangeable i rly need to be tested for dyslexia bc this keeps happening lmaoooooo


End file.
